Rabbi Nathan Mileikowsky ( he, נתן מיליקובסקי, August 15, 1879 – February 4, 1935) was a Zionist political activist, rabbi, and writer. Mileikowsky's son was the scholar and academic
Benzion Netanyahu
Benzion Netanyahu ( he, בֶּנְצִיּוֹן נְתַנְיָהוּ, ; born Benzion Mileikowsky; March 25, 1910 – April 30, 2012)''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michiga ...
, and his grandson is former
Israeli Prime Minister
The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exe ...
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
.
Biography
Mileikowsky was born in 1879 in
Kreva
Kreva ( be, Крэва, ; lt, Krėva or Krẽvas; pl, Krewo; russian: Крéво) is a township in the Smarhon District of Grodno Region, Belarus. The first mention dates to the 13th century. The toponym is derived from the name of the Krivi ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(today located in
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
), which at that time was part of the
Pale of Settlement
The Pale of Settlement (russian: Черта́ осе́длости, '; yi, דער תּחום-המושבֿ, '; he, תְּחוּם הַמּוֹשָב, ') was a western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 19 ...
(region of
Imperial Russia in which permanent residency by
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
was allowed) the son of Zvi Mileikowsky and Liba Gitel Halevi. Mileikowsky's father, made a living from leasing an agricultural estate in a nearby village. At the age of 10 Mileikowsky was sent to the
Volozhin yeshiva
Yeshivas Etz Ḥayyim (), commonly called the Volozhin Yeshiva (), was a prestigious Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' located in the town of Volozhin, Russian Empire (now Valozhyn, Belarus). It was founded around 1803 by Rabbi Ḥayyim Volozhiner, a stude ...
, where he spent eight years and was ordained.
Already while Mileikowsky attended yeshiva he began to make speeches and lectures and was in contact with the Zionist activist
Yehuda Zvi Ibzarov who encouraged him to engage in this field.
At the age of 20 Mileikowsky began promoting
Zionism
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
in the
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
region, following a request to do so by the Zionist leader
Yechiel Chlenov
Yechiel ( he, יְחִיאֵל) is a Hebrew masculine given name meaning "May God live" or "God shall live".
Several people in the Bible have this name. See Jehiel (biblical figure).
Alternative spellings of Yechiel include Jehiel, Yehiel, Yech ...
.
In the following years Mileikowsky continued to engage in Zionist promotion and in addition gave speeches against the "
Bund" movement and against other socialist Jewish anti-Zionist movements. During the
Sixth Zionist Congress
The Sixth Zionist Congress was held in Basel, opening on August 23, 1903. Theodor Herzl caused great division amongst the delegates when he presented the " Uganda Scheme", a proposed Jewish colony in what is now part of Kenya. Herzl died the follo ...
Mileikowsky was among the opponents of the
Uganda Programme, despite belonging to the
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl; hu, Herzl Tivadar; Hebrew name given at his brit milah: Binyamin Ze'ev (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian Jewish lawyer, journalist, playwright, political activist, and writer who was the father of modern po ...
camp.
In 1908 Mileikowsky moved to Poland and became the director of the Hebrew Gymnasium of Mordechai Yaakov Krinsky in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, while continuing to promote
Zionism
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
in Poland. He went through hundreds of towns and was considered one of the most popular Zionist speakers. In 1912 Mileikowsky moved to
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
, and served as a
Maggid
A maggid ( he, מַגִּיד), also spelled as magid, is a traditional Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A chaplain of the more scholarly sort is called a '' darshan'' (). The title of '' ...
in the Zionist synagogue "Beth Jacob". He used to deliver his sermons in Hebrew, an uncommon practice at that time. In 1913 the Hebrew newspaper ''
Ha-Tsefirah
''Ha-Tsfira'' ( he, הצפירה) was a Hebrew-language newspaper published in Poland in 1862 and 1874–1931.
History
The first issue of ''Ha-Tsfira'' appeared in Warsaw, Congress Poland, in 1862, edited by Chaim Selig Slonimski. ''Ha-Tsfira'' w ...
'' reported about a major event held in Lodz organized by the members of the
Mizrachi movement. The report mentioned also the "excellent speech" made by Rabbi Mileikowsky, which was carried partly in Hebrew and partly in
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...
. According to his son,
Benzion Netanyahu
Benzion Netanyahu ( he, בֶּנְצִיּוֹן נְתַנְיָהוּ, ; born Benzion Mileikowsky; March 25, 1910 – April 30, 2012)''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michiga ...
, the Mileikowsky family was one of the few families in the world who spoke
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
at that time. In 1914 Mileikowsky was appointed rabbi of the city
Rivne
Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Raio ...
, but following
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he remained with his family in Lodz.
In 1920, Mileikowsky
immigrated
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
with his wife and nine children, and became the director of the school "Vilkomitz" in
Rosh Pina
Rosh Pina (ראש פינה) is a lay-led independent minyan in Washington, D.C. It meets for Shabbat morning services twice a month in the National Museum of American Jewish Military History (NMAJMH). It also meets occasionally for Friday night a ...
. During this period he published various articles in the Hebrew press promoting the Jewish settlement of the
Galilee region. On some of the articles he published he signed under the name "Netanyahu", a surname his sons adopted.
In 1924 he moved with his family to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, and during that same year he traveled to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on behalf of
Menachem Ussishkin
Menachem Ussishkin (russian: Авраам Менахем Мендл Усышкин ''Avraham Menachem Mendel Ussishkin'', he, מנחם אוסישקין) (August 14, 1863 – October 2, 1941) was a Russian-born Zionist leader and head of the Je ...
in order to raise funds for the
Jewish National Fund and
Keren Hayesod
Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal ( he, קרן היסוד, literally "The Foundation Fund") is an official fundraising organization for Israel with branches in 45 countries. Its work is carried out in accordance with the Keren haYesod Law-5 ...
. Following the success of these campaigns he was sent to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
on behalf of the Jewish National Fund. Mileikowsky's numerous speeches made a strong impression on the
American Jewish community. In 1926, the newspaper "Dos Yiddishe Folk" reported that the American Zionist Rabbi Mileikowsky lectured in 700 lectures through nine months. Once a year Mileikowsky used to visit Palestine. In 1928 Mileikowsky published several of his speeches in the book ''Nation and State'' (Hebrew: עם ומדינה).
On the eve of the
1929 Palestine riots Mileikowsky returned to Palestine, purchased land in
Herzliya
Herzliya ( ; he, הֶרְצְלִיָּה ; ar, هرتسليا, Hirtsiliyā) is an affluent city in the central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it h ...
in which he built up a
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
, and in addition he was active in the
Hitahdut HaIkarim Hitahdut HaIkarim ( he, הִתְאַחֲדוּת האִכָּרים, lit. ''Farmers Federation'') is a settlement movement for private farmers in Israel.
History
''Hitahdut HaMoshavot BeYehuda VeShomron'' ( he, התאחדות המושבות ביה ...
settlement movement for private farmers.
After the
assassination of Haim Arlosoroff
Haim Arlosoroff was assassinated on the night of Friday, June 16, 1933, as the Labor Zionism, left-wing Zionist leader was walking with his wife on the beach in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine. The assassination was initially believed to be carried ...
in 1933, Rabbi Mileikowsky, who was affiliated with the
Revisionist movement, took part in the establishment of a public committee, headed by Rabbi
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
, which protected those accused of Arlosoroff's assassination—namely, Zvi Rosenblatt and
Abraham Stavsky
Abraham Stavsky ( he, אברהם סטבסקי; January 5, 1906 – June 22, 1948) was an activist member of Betar, the youth movement of a Revisionist Zionist group founded by Vladimir Jabotinsky.
On June 18, 1933, Stavsky was arrested by th ...
. Rabbi Mileikowsky argued that the evidence indicated that they did not commit the assassination and that their execution could lead to a civil war, which would harm the Zionist enterprise.
Rabbi Mileikowsky died in Jerusalem on February 4, 1935, and was buried in the Mount of Olives Cemetery. Rabbi
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
referred to Mileikowsky in his eulogy as a "divine speaker".
The square most adjacent to Israel's national cemetery in
Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl ( he, הַר הֶרְצְל ''Har Hertsl''), also ''Har ha-Zikaron'' ( lit. "Mount of Remembrance"), is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities, found on the west side of Jerusalem beside ...
is named after Nathan Mileikowsky.
Family
Nathan and his wife Sarah Mileikowsky (née Lurie) had nine children, including:
Benzion Netanyahu
Benzion Netanyahu ( he, בֶּנְצִיּוֹן נְתַנְיָהוּ, ; born Benzion Mileikowsky; March 25, 1910 – April 30, 2012)''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michiga ...
(the father of
Iddo,
Yonatan and
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
) and
Elisha Netanyahu
Elisha Netanyahu ( he, אֱלִישָׁע נְתַנְיָהוּ; December 21, 1912 – April 3, 1986) was an Israeli mathematician specializing in complex analysis. Over the course of his work at the Technion he was the Dean of the Faculty of ...
(the husband of
Shoshana Netanyahu and the father of
Nathan Netanyahu).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mileikowsky, Nathan
1879 births
1935 deaths
Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives
Israeli people of Belarusian-Jewish descent
Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent
Israeli political activists
Israeli rabbis
Jewish activists
Jewish educators
Jews in Mandatory Palestine
Netanyahu family
People from Jerusalem
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Polish Zionists
Rhetoricians
Writers from Jerusalem